Level.



PATENTED JULY 5, 1904 J. L. WILGOX;

LEVEL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16. 1904.

NO MODEL.

//v VENTOI? 5 72 ZflZ/cax A 770mm UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904.

JOHN LEWV IS \VILCOX, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

LEVEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,092, dated July 5, 190 1.

Application filed February 16, 1904. Serial No- 193,893. (No model.)

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN Lnwrs lVILcox, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Levels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in levels, and has special reference to an instrument of this class commonly known as spiritlevels.

The object of my invention is to provide a simplified and inexpensive level in which the boxes or holders for the bubble-tubes can be readily removed and easily adjusted when in place, so that the bubble-tubes can be replaced without requiring extreme accuracy in setting them in the boxes or holders.

The above-mentioned and other desirable objects are attained by the construction, combinations, and arrangements of parts as disclosed on the accompanying drawings, set forth in this specification, and suecintly pointed out in the appended claims.

ith reference to the drawings filed herewith and bearing like reference characters for corresponding parts throughout, Figure 1 is a side view of a level embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the same in longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the bar or stock, taken on line 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line 1 of Fig. l, and Fig. 5 is an end view of the level.

This invention includes a bar or stock, as 6, of any suitable or desired form, but as now considered consisting of an elongated rectangular body of suitable thickness and formed with ribs 6 along each side corner, which render the side edge surfaces of the body somewhat wider than the thickness of the web, and these edge surfaces are formed parallel with each other and serve as faces, which are applied to the work' in using the instrument. This bar or stock is preferably formed with suitable openings, as 7 at suitable points in the web for the reception of the fingers of the operator in manipulating the instrument, and a chamber or recess 8 is formed in the web of the bar or stock adjacent each end to receive a box or holder, as 9, in which a glass bubble-tube 10 of ordinary construc tion is set, while a chamber or recess 11 is formed in the bar or stock at one side edge to receive a box or holder 12, in which a bubbletube 10 of ordinary construction is set.

The boxes or holders 9 and 12 are preferably formed substantially rectangular in crosssection and are of suitable size to receive the bubble-tubes in beds of plaster-of-paris, as in the ordinary manner of setting bubble-tubes, and these boxes or holders are formed with removable top sides 14, conveniently fastened in place by screws 15, which are passed through suitable apertures therein and engaged in screw-threaded holes in the end walls of the boxes or holders, and in the top and side walls of the boxes or holders suitable sight-openings areformed for viewing the airbubbles in the tubes. On the bottom of each of the boxes or holders is secured a rocker, as 16, arranged substantially midway the length of the box or holder and is adapted to swingingly support the box or holder for longitudinal tilting, so that it can be adjusted to set the bubble-tubes relatively to the faces of the bar or stock.

The chambers or recesses 8 in the bar or stock are formed of suitable size to freely receive the boxes or holders 9 with the bubbletubes substantially at right angles to the faces of the bar or stock, and the said boxes or holders are arranged in said chambers or recesses, with the rockers 16 resting in suitable grooves 17, formed in the bottom of the chambers or recesses and adapted as seats for the rockers of the boxes or holders. These grooves are preferably formed V shape as viewed in crosssection and are of suitable size to receive the lower portions of the rockers, so that the boxes or holders can be swung or tilted longitudinally. Over the chambers or recesses 8 the web of the bar or stock is cut away, as at 18, to afford a clear sight of the bubbles, and each of said chambers or recesses is provided with a removable cover at one side consisting of a plate 19, which [its at one edge in a pocket or groove 7, formed in the inner side of rib 6, and these covers are secured in place by screws, as 20, passed through suitable apertures in the plates adjacent the ends oppositesaid pockets and engaged in screwthreaded holes in the web of the bar or stock.

To adjust the boxes or holders 9, 1 provide opposite screws, as 21, for each box or holder, and these screws are mounted in suitable apertures 22, formed longitudinally of the bar or stock and extending from the end thereof to the chamber 8 over the end portions of the boxes or holders, so that the ends of the screws engage with the box or holder. These apertures are formed with screw-threads at the inner ends which engage with correspond in g screw-threads on the screws, and the apertures are counterbored beyond said screwthreads to receive the shanks and heads of the screws freely, so that the screws can be adjusted in and out to swing the box or holder and also serve to secure same in adjusted positions.

The chamber or recess 11 consists of a cavity formed in one side edge of the bar or stock of suitable size to receive the box or holder 12 freely, with the bubble-tube longitudinally of the bar or stock and having sightopenings in the side walls, and a removable cover, consisting of a plate, as 19, having a sight-opening, is let into the surface of said edge about the cavity and secured in place by suitable screws, as 20, which are passed through suitable apertures in said plate and. engaged in screw-threaded holes in the wall of said cavity. In the bottom surface of the chamber or recess 11 a groove 11 is formed to receive the rocker of the box or holder 12, which is adjusted by means of opposite screws 21, fitting in apertures 22, formed in the bar or stock under the end portions of the box or holder and extending from the opposite side edge of the bar or stock to the chamher or recess. These screws are engaged at the inner ends with the box or holder in suitable screw-threaded holes formed in the bottom surface, and the inner faces of the heads of the screws normally rest against shoulders formed. by counterboring the outer ends of the apertures 22 to receive said heads. Thus the screws can be adjusted to swing the box or holder and serve to secure same in adjusted positions.

A level constructed as heretofore described possesses marked. advantages in the arrangement of the boxes or holders for removal and adjustment, as the ordinary mechanic is enabled to readily replace a broken bubble-tube and can adjust the instrument by turning the adjusting-screws to rock the boxes or holders to set the bubble-tube relatively to a true plane, against which the bar or stock is placed.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is-- 1. A spirit-level COlDIHlSlHg' a bar havinga chamber between the side edges adjacent each end and a chamber at one side edge and provided with opposite apertures leading to said last chamber from the opposite side edge of the bar and counterbored at the outer ends and opposite screw-threaded apertures leading from the ends of said bar to the first said chan'ibers, removable covers, for one side of said chambers, boxes removably fitting in said chambers, a rocker on the bottom Oil each box midway the ends, and the box in the chamber at the side edge of the bar having-screwthreaded holes in the bottom corresponding to the counterbored apertures, bubble-tubes in said boxes, screws fitting in said last apertures and engaged in said screw -threaded holes and having heads fitting in said counterbores, and screws fitting in said first screwthreaded apertures and hearing at the inner ends against the boxes in said end chambers.

2. A. spiritlevel comprising a bar having a JOHN LE\V 1S \VlLUOX.

\Vitnesses:

(J. A. MCKENZIE, W. F. H'EIsEnMAN. 

